There are many situations in modern society where it is desirable to have a light-weight construction system for structures which can be disassembled and converted to a compact condition for transportation and storage. For instance, in connection with advertising displays for industry fairs, the persons responsible for arranging and setting up a display may be required to do so in geographical locations which are far apart; the locations may be quite diverse in other respects. Since the display must be carried by airplane or carried manually some distance, it is desirable that the construction system incorporated in the display be light in weight and compact. Furthermore, it must be capable of being re-assembled in various display areas in different ways to compensate for the variations in the display area available at the various fairs. In some locations, the display area may consist of a booth or recess, while in other cases the display may be free standing, i.e., approachable from all directions, so that the nature of the display is to be of a semi-permanent nature as, for instance, in the display of goods in a retail establishment, these attributes of lightness, compactness when disassembled, and versatility in assembly are desirable. Those same qualities which are desirable in the advertising and business world are those which are also desirable in educational kits and toys for children. In the past, structures having the above enumerated characteristics have been expensive, difficult to assemble, easily broken and rendered inoperative, and have not had a pleasing appearance. These and other difficulties with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a construction system for structures which is light in weight and which can be disassembled to a compact form for storage and transportation.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a construction system for use in displays or the like in which a variety of structures can be formed from a small number of basic parts.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a construction system permitting the formation of a strong temporary structure by combining a number of elements selected from two simple basic parts.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a display structure formed from a number of light-weight elements formed of paper and foamed plastic, the elements being relatively inexpensive so that damage, wear, or discoloration of an element can justify it being discarded and replaced.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a construction system of great versatility, wherein the elements can be assembled in a variety of ways to suit the function, space available, and the like.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a construction system which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is simple and rugged in construction, and which is capable of a long life of useful service with a minimum of maintenance.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a construction system which can be assembled by persons having little mechanical appitude and without the use of tools.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.